Flong for stereotyping.



No. 868,961. PATENTED OUT. 22, 1907. E. P. BAUM.

FLONG FOR STEREOTYPING.

APPLIOA'IION FILED JAKE. 190

, Alzorneyf UNITED STATES EDWARD l". liAUM, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLONG FOR STEREOTYIPIN'GI'.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct-22, 1907.

Application filed January 2,1906. Serial No. 294,264.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Enwnan F. BAUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flongs for stereotyping, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in what are known as flongs, molds or matrices for stereotyping, type-casting and other purposes wherein it may be desired to make impressions of printing or type matter, engravings or other surfaces in duplicate, or greater number, in metal. l

It has especially for its object to produce a fiong which shall be adapted for future use and for taking impressions of half-tone engravings in addition to the foregoing, and other like delicate surfaces more successfully,

it is believed, thanhas been accomplished by previous methods of this type which are known in the art as dry and cold processes of stereotyping.

It also has for its object to produce stereotyped forms for printing imitations of typewritten letters &c., and for casting tint-blocks.

Said invention consists of certain structural features substantially as hereinafter fully disclosed and specifically pointed out by. the claims. I

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the preferred embodiment of my inventionithe figure is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, the component parts thereof being shown exaggerated in thick- As herein described andarranged, the cloth or seen. The coating or layer-of impressible and noncombustible substance 3 interpen'etrates and fills the ness for obvious reasons as .will be more clearly disclosed presently.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a sheet or layer of thin cloth preferably of cotton or linen 1 to which is glued or pasted a sheet or layer of paper 2,

preferably of the blotting type, or other thick, soft and compressible paper and forming a backing for said clothlayer and upon this sheet or layer of linen or cloth issuitably spread or applied a coating of impressible and non-combustible substance hereinafter fully described.

linen layer 1, backing or layer of paper 2 and coating or layer of non-combustible and compressible substance 3 constitute a practically, single composite sheet wherein each ingredient performsanimportant part one with relation to the other and as awhole', as will be later meshes of th e interlining cloth-layer 1 and produces or forms thereon an impressible. surface for taking impressions of'fine and delicate lines.

The cloth or linen layer, as aforesaid, serves as an interlining for the paper-layer and the superposed coating and by thus reinforcing them, provides for equalizing the pressure received thereon, necessary to secure a deep impression of a type-form therein, and whereby they are prevented from breaking, tearing or cracking.

that, by applying or superposing the impressible and non-combustible substance or coating upon a layer or sheet of thin cloth. as muslin, linen and the like, the requisite smooth, solid surface is obtainable, without requiring the use of any unnecessary or surplus amount of said substance or material, as the facing or foundation thus furnished for the latter is adapted to have its' meshes readily filled in and covered over with the minimum amount of said substance, and whereby it has been practically demonstrated that the flong thus constituted, with a backing of bibulous or blotting paper or the like, as aforesaid, may be readily and offectively or successfully stripped or removed from the face of the type-form without in anywise becoming mutilated or impaired thereby, being thus suitably preserved intact for subsequently taking additional impressions therefrom. as above noted.

Heretoforefiongs used in dry and cold processes of stereotyping, especially those composed. of dry bibulous. paper, blotting paper, faced with a composition of paste and whiting, and those of another class consisting of cotton batting, felt, or some other heavy cloth, impregnated and coated with various compositions, have torn and cracked so much under the pressure necessary to take impressions, that the hot metal has penetrated the interstices and caused the matrices to stick to the stereotypes to such an extent that they couldnot be removed intact. The casts, also, were often rough and imperfect. This has particularly been the case when the impressions were required to be deep. In some processes this difliculty has been overcome to a great extent by wetting, moistening, or heating the flong just before compression into a matrix, in order to make it soft and pliable, but it will be obvious to those familiar with the art that such methods partake more of the wet processes than they do of the dry.

Flongs made in accordance with my invention as aforesaid and allowed to dry, may be kept on hand and are always ready for instant use without any further preparation. As it is sometimes desirable to keep them on hand for sometime, anddn order that they may remain pliable, I prefer to use an impressible and noncombustible coating which will not dry out and become hard. For this purpose Iprefer a mixture of prepared chalk and an emulsion, made about the consistency of cream and which may be applied to the face of the 'cloth by means of a brush, or which may be rubbed on with a rag. I do not confine myself to any particular kind of an emulsion, but include in the term any suitable mixture of mucilage, or paste with an oil or fat. Among the oils, I include the petroleum residues, such as petrolatum, etc. Neither do I confine myself to any specific formula, because one may be substituted for another and the ingredients and proportions may be varied without making a marked differenee in the re-' sults.

Among the various preparations, which give the best results, one may be formed principally by mixing 6% pounds of starch, 2% pounds of Wheat-flour and 6 gallons of water with the addition of 2 ounces of glue and 2 ounces of alum previously dissolved in 2 quarts of water, the same being cooked and constantly stirred until it becomes thick, when it is allowed to cool. From this an emulsion is made by mixing 2parts thereof and 1 part of sweet oil, the same being thoroughly amalgamated by triturating them in a mortar, or by other suitable means; then add 2 parts of prepared chalk and rub or stir same until properly mixed, water being added and the mixture constantly stirred until about the consistency of cream. Talcum, sulfate of baryta, asbestos, fire clay and other refractory substances may be used instead of the prepared chalk. A paste made of gum tragacanth and water, or mucilage of acacia may be used in making an emulsion instead of the paste referred to. It is obvious that these and other substances may be compounded in different forms and varied proportions for the purpose specified.

By the use 'of oil, as an ingredient of the above formulas, the coating of impressible and non-combustible substance is maintained in a pliable or plastic state, whereby it is prevented from sticking or adhering to the type-face and facilitates the removal of the fiong without risk of mar-ring the same as might otherwise result.

When it is desired to cast a form of type to print, in

imitation of a typewritten letter, or to cast a tint block,

the coat of impressible and non-combustible substance is applied thinly to the cloth, so it will not entirely obliterate the mesh, in which case the cast will bear the impress oi the cloth and will print to resemble the impressions made by the type and ribbon of a typewriting machine. The same effect will be produced in a tint block.

The process of making matrices with fiongs such as I have invented is very simple. When'it is desired to make a matrix the face of the fiong is pressed into the face of the type by any suitable means. Screw presses and roller matrix machines, devices well known in the art of printing are adapted to do this work. cient pressure has been applied to insure a good impression, the matrix is removed from the type and is ready for the casting process. Flongs of this character possess many advantages. They are ready for instant use and, as they are very compressible and readily conform to delicate type lines under pressure, without appreciable reactionary expansion when the pressure is relieved, they take sharp and clear impressions. They do not readily tear, break, or fracture and are not liable to char, become pulverulent, or adhere to the face of the casting. They may be made into matrices in a few seconds without the use of steam drying tables, ovens, or other special devices. By their use satisfactory stereotypes can be conveniently and economically made.

I claim:

1. A fiong for stereotyping, employing a thin cloth layer, an impressihle and non-combustible layer applied to the upper surface of said thin cloth layer, and a thick soft layer of paper applied to the lower surface of said thin cloth layer, said impresslble and non-combustible layer comprising a paste whose principal ingredients are gum tragncanth, mucllage of acacia, and sweet oil, to gether with sulfate of baryia, amalgamated with said paste.

2. A flong for stereotyping purposes, embracing a thin cloth-layer, a compressible and'non-combustible layer applied to the upper surface of said cloth-layer, and a thick. soft layer of paper applied to the lower surface of said thin cloth-layer, said impresslbie and non-combustible layer comprising a paste, a fixed oil and a refractory earth} In ,testimony whereof -I have signed my name to tliis' specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD F. BAUM.

Witnesses:

E. A. Mrnnnn, W. W. WALLOWER. 

